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Copyright © 2009
Canadian Bible Society
All Rights Reserved
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The Bible is a compilation of works by more than 40 authors, written during a period of about 1,600 years, yet it is unified in spirit, outlook and inspiration.
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The earliest parts of the Bible were written in approximately 1500 B.C.; the most recent around A.D.100
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The original languages of the Bible were Hebrew (Old Testament), Aramaic (a few scattered parts of the Old Testament), and Koine Greek (New Testament). |
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The word Bible is derived from a Greek word (biblos) referring to papyrus (in later Latin, biblia), and the word Testament from a Latin word (testari) meaning to witness. |
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At key points in early church history, church leaders met and tested the writings to determine which should be considered truly authoritative. |
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These books came to be called canonical, from the Greek word for a measuring stick (kanon); they later became what we today know as the Bible. |
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For most Protestants the core of the Bible is composed of 66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament) which they view as the complete Bible. |
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Roman Catholics include eight additional books as part of the Bible. These eight are collectively known as the Apocrypha or the Deuterocanonical Books. |
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Orthodox churches have the largest canon of all, which varies as well from group to group of Orthodox believers. |
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